New ink fragrance in old times

As night fell, the bustle of the Lin family's backyard gradually died down. After a busy day, the Lin family finally had a moment to breathe. Everyone returned to the front yard from the backyard one after another, with a hint of fatigue on their faces.

Zhao Yue'e glanced at the pile of sweet potatoes in the yard, her brows furrowed slightly. She turned to Lin Wenhong, who was wiping his sweat, and said, "Tomorrow, you three should go to the cellar and get some more sweet potatoes. I'm afraid these won't be enough."

Lin Wenhong looked at the piles of sweet potatoes in the yard with some surprise and asked doubtfully, "Yue'e, should these be enough? We still have a lot left."

Zhao Yue'e shook her head slightly, a look of worry on her face. "Dad, our sweet potato harvest this year is indeed good, but some of the sweet potatoes in the cellar have sprouted. And when the winter gets cold, if these sweet potatoes get frozen, they will all go bad."

"Don't worry, we have a lot of relatives, so we'll have to pack some for them when the time comes. The children will also like to eat it. If we prepare more, it won't go bad even if we keep it for a few years."

Lin Wenhong suddenly understood. He nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll listen to you. Let's prepare more."

Zhao Yue'e nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Bring some more sweet potatoes. We can take advantage of the good weather these days and dry some more potato chips. Potato chips are sweet and the children love them. They can also satisfy their cravings during the New Year."

As they walked, Lin Wenhong said to Zhao Yue'e, "That's a good idea. You're very thoughtful. I'll make arrangements right away. Tomorrow morning I'll ask the second and third brothers to go get the sweet potatoes from the cellar."

Zhao Yue'e warned, "Be careful, don't fall. If something doesn't seem right, don't go down."

Lin Wenhong: "I know what's going on."

"Mom and Dad, everything is ready."

Lin Xuejin stood in the middle of the hall and spoke respectfully to Lin Wenhong and Zhao Yue'e who had just walked in. There was a hint of solemnity in his voice, as if a sacred ceremony was being performed.

Lin Wenhong nodded, his eyes swept across the neatly arranged altar in the main hall, and he said with satisfaction: "Okay, let's get started."

Zhao Yue'e carefully noticed Lin Xuejin's hands and asked softly, "Have you washed your hands?"

Lin Xuejin quickly replied, "I washed it."

However, Zhao Yue'e did not seem satisfied with this answer. She frowned slightly and reminded again:

"Wash again. God loves cleanliness. We can't be careless at all. This is to show respect to the gods."

Without any hesitation, Lin Xuejin immediately turned around and washed his hands again. Lin Wenhong and Lin Xuebao also washed their hands again.

After a while, they returned to the main hall, and Lin Wenhong, Lin Xuejin and Lin Xuebao stood together in front of the altar.

Following Lin Wenhong's order, the three began to perform the offering ceremony in an orderly manner.

They first carefully placed the offerings on the table, then lit the candles, then the incense, and finally burned paper money.

Every movement seems so solemn and pious, as if having some kind of mysterious communication with the gods.

The other boys in the Lin family watched quietly from the side, their eyes filled with curiosity and confusion. Why did the Lin family burn incense today?

Is today a special day?

Lin Mo's heart was full of doubts, as if shrouded in a layer of fog.

He lowered his head, lost in thought, trying to dig out something special about today from the depths of his memory.

Lin Mo remembered that the day his aunt returned was Lidong, the solar term marking the beginning of winter. But when exactly was Lidong? Fragments of vague memories flashed through Lin Mo's mind, but he could never piece together a complete answer.

Just as he was feeling bewildered, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind like lightning. Dalang and his friends had been at the community school for four or five days, and today, not only had they steamed buns, but they had also performed a ritual of offering sacrifices and burning incense.

"It's either the first or the fifteenth day."

Lin Mo muttered to himself, and a glimmer of understanding began to emerge in his mind.

It is already October. Combining various signs at home, Lin Mo deduced that today is most likely October 15th, which is the so-called auspicious day.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo suddenly realized, and the fog in his heart seemed to be blown away by a breeze.

It turns out that today is an auspicious day. No wonder the Lin family held such a solemn ceremony. Lin Mo couldn't help but feel awe for the traditions and beliefs of the ancients.

However, another question arose in his mind.

It's a tradition passed down from ancient times to honor ancestors on the first day of October, but why don't I have any memory of that day?

What exactly happened to me in Zhaozhuang?

Lin Mo began to try hard to recall every detail of his time in Zhaozhuang, but his memory seemed to be pressed down by a huge rock and he couldn't turn it over no matter what.

He felt a splitting headache and gave up looking for answers.

After the ceremony, the atmosphere in the Lin family gradually became warm and peaceful.

The family sat together and began to enjoy dinner. On the dinner table, there were still steaming hot buns and fragrant corn porridge.

Lin Mo picked up a bun and took a bite, feeling the familiar flavor blossom on his tongue. At this moment, he seemed to forget all his doubts and worries, enjoying this rare tranquility and happiness.

After dinner, the Lin family began to clean up the dishes and do housework.

Lin Mo also participated in it. He did his best to help his family share the burden. When everything was cleaned up, everyone returned to their respective rooms and prepared to rest early.

Lin Mo also returned to his room. He lay on his small bed and fell into a deep sleep.

A sudden chill woke Lin Mo up.

He opened his eyes and found that the room was dark, with only the occasional sounds of wind and rain outside the window breaking the silence of the night.

It turned out that it had started raining outside at some point, and the raindrops hit the window, making a crisp sound.

Lin Mo curled himself up in the quilt, trying to dispel the chill with his body heat. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and fall asleep again.

The next morning, Lin Mo felt refreshed, as if the chill of last night had disappeared.

He got up, put on his clothes, walked out of the room, and saw that his family had already started busying themselves preparing for the new day.

Zhao Yue'e: "It rained last night, so we can't work in the fields. Everywhere we step is covered with footprints, which is really annoying. But let's not sit idle. Let's get back to one thing today: let's continue making potato starch."

When Lin Sizhe heard this, his eyes lit up immediately. He ran to Zhao Yue'e excitedly, took her hand and asked:

"Grandma, when will the vermicelli be ready? I've been craving it for a long time. I especially want to eat the pork and vermicelli stew you make."

Zhao Yue'e smiled and patted Lin Sizhe's head, saying, "It will take a few more days. Don't worry, grandma will definitely make the vermicelli as soon as possible so that you can satisfy your craving."

Lin Sizhe was a little disappointed when he heard this, but he nodded sensibly and said, "Okay, grandma, I'll help you make the vermicelli, so you can eat it faster."

Zhao Yue'e looked at Lin Sizhe with satisfaction and said, "Good boy, you are really grandma's good grandson. Let's get started."

"Old man, you and the second and third daughters-in-law will be in charge of peeling the skin. You have to be careful with this job. The skin must be peeled cleanly so that more flour can be obtained."

Zhao Yue'e said to Shen Xin, handing her the paring knife.

Shen Xin took the knife and said, "Don't worry, Mom, we can save ourselves the trouble. We do this job often, so we can cut it quickly and well."

After that, Shen Xin, Han Suniang, and Lu Yue skillfully picked up the ganchu and began to peel the skin. They were very skilled and soon peeled a pile of white ganchu meat.

Then, Zhao Yue'e turned to Lin Wenhong and said, "You three, keep on tinkering with the mud. This is a strenuous job, and we're relying on you."

Lin Wenhong: "Yue'e, don't worry."

"The rest of you, come with me to wash the Ganchu. This job may seem simple, but it actually requires skills. The Ganchu must be washed clean, otherwise the powder made will not be clean." Zhao Yue'e said to Lin Mo and others while washing the Ganchu.

Lin Mo and the others nodded, picked up the sweet potatoes, and started to get busy.

Lin Mo watched from the side, feeling somewhat puzzled. He remembered that the sweet potatoes had not been peeled yesterday. Could it be that he remembered it wrongly?

He turned to look at Shen Xin and the others who were peeling the fruits. He couldn't help but admire their skillful technique.

He shook his head and decided not to think about it, but instead devoted himself to the work of washing sweet potatoes. He picked up one sweet potato after another and scrubbed them carefully.